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It has been five years since the US-led troops invaded Iraq. Recent reports reveal a decrease in the violence in the country as a result of the US “surge”, as if to indicate that all is on track. But people are missing the point — the damage has already been done!
These recent “improvements” should not be judged in a vacuum; they must be seen in the context of the US-led invasion of Iraq. Whatever improvements are discussed today still don’t take away from the sheer horror that continues to be inflicted on the Iraqis.
From the start, this war was a moral aberration. It was based on a unilateral approach of an American administration that had an agenda and took advantage of its own might as well as global conditions to reach its goals. But it doesn’t stop here; the post-invasion strategy was very poorly planned and executed. Civil society was barely held together, economic reconstruction was pushed to “later stages” and Iraqi people’s needs and security were never addressed.
Any comprehensive survey is guaranteed to demonstrate that the invasion and subsequent occupation which has led to extreme civil disorder has left the Iraqis worse-off than they were during Saddam Hussain’s rule. Indeed, it was the lawlessness brought about by this invasion which gave a rise to extremism both inside and outside Iraq.
Right after 9/11, America enjoyed a huge level of global sympathy. That sympathy was not only tested, but it was abused. Governments like those in Italy and Spain started off as supporters of the invasion and even sent in their troops. But they faced a hostile public reaction and withdrew later.
France and Germany were staunch opponents of the invasion and it was Britain’s unconditional support which altered the course of British politics and caused serious divisions in Europe.
The Middle East too was affected by this war. This region is less secure and less stable today than it was in 2003.
Contrary to the US President George W. Bush’s vision, Iraq is not a beacon of freedom and does not inspire any of its neighbouring countries in any sense, shape, or form.
Legacy
As for Bush, his presidency will always be judged by the Iraq horror. His legacy should be that he was responsible for an illegal and costly war that violated international law and isolated his country from former allies. He wrongly focused on non-existent weapons of mass destruction and falsely claimed Saddam Hussain had links to Al Qaida. His Iraq adventure also seriously weakened the US economy (costing the country up to $3 trillion!) and resulted in the deaths of 4,000 US soldiers.
Nothing that this US administration has done in Iraq is worth the cost in innocent lives. Unseating Saddam turned out to be a personal goal and a major distraction from the post 9/11 global security agenda, which Bush should have concentrated on.
Both, President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair were weakened in front of their electorates. In 2003, any opposition to the war was played down in the media and the major focus became on each government’s justifications for the invasion (incidentally, the invasion wore out the very concept of Western moral authority, if there was any).
The Iraq war was sold as a confrontation between liberal democracy (as neo-conservatives like to call it) and terrorism. The general feeling in the US today is that the country needs a new leader.
As former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan finally admitted, “No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others”.
We don’t know what the final outcome of this war will be as the occupation of Iraq is an open-ended one. What we do know is that this war has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis (some say a million), and millions more have been exiled or displaced from their homes. Thousands were injured.
Not to mention the cult of suicide bombings which have killed over 13,000 people. This war brought Iraq terror, occupation, oppression, poverty, and lack of security and stability for many years to come. Besides, it has led to the spread of instability, sectarianism, resentment and fear across the region.
Was it worth it? The answer, of course, is no.
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